Remodeling began on respiratory care, dietary, materials management and cardiac testing areas. And in 1976, a new development plan called for building a new mental health unit, day surgery facilities and a new intensive care unit. In 1974, a continuing education area was completed on the lower level and the OB delivery-maternity wing was remodeled. A year later, phase II of the plan brought a new coronary care unit to a now completed fifth floor as well as more room for diagnostic and ancillary services: new clinical lab, radiology suite, medical records, medical library, physical therapy unit and an enlarged maintenance and engineering plant.Ĭonstruction didn’t stop there. It was completed in 1971 with the opening of a new surgery suite and central sterile supply area and relocation of the Emergency Room. In 1970, Riverside started construction of a $1 million addition, the first phase of a master plan. In 1971,William Brandenburg donated 65 acres of farmland on the south side of the river, adjacent to Kankakee Airport, designated for the Riverside Foundation. While students wearing bell-bottoms and love beads promoted revolution in the 1970s, the emphasis at Riverside was evolution – developing facilities and services. Construction began in May 1962 and Robert G.Miller was named Chief Executive Officer in January 1963. A Hill-Burton grant of $666,000 was a major gift.Īfter appealing to the community to submit name suggestions for the new facility, Kankakee County Hospital became Riverside Hospital in 1961. A new campaign was brought to the community, 3 which embraced it with continued pledges.
The Hospital Committee continued under the leadership of James Schneider and it purchased seven acres of scenic land at Riverside’s present site from Burrell and Len Small who donated an additional three acres. After unfilled promises and delays, the committee severed ties with the Stewards Foundation to build a 136-bed hospital funded by the community with aid from federal grants. Schneider recommended that a private non-profit foundation known as the Stewards Foundation be invited to build a 150-bed hospital in Kankakee. In December 1958, a Chamber of Commerce subcommittee, chaired by James G. Riverside Medical Center stands today as an organization much more complex than the one opened in 1964, yet steadfast in its commitment to excellence. What binds the tapestry together is a mission of delivering healthcare services on a regional basis that are focused on improving the health status of the communities that we serve in a meaningful and caring manner. It also encircles all who have given the cloth its strength by serving on the Hospital Board of Directors, Riverside Medical Center Foundation and Riverside Auxiliary over the years. The tapestry embraces every physician, nurse, technician, support staff member and volunteer who has helped a patient, directly or indirectly, over the years. It starts with the original founders and contributors, neighbors caring enough about their neighbors to act on their dreams and convictions. The threads of the tapestry have been woven in by individuals too numerous to name in these few pages. – Riverside Hospital opened in 1964 with 136 beds, 125 employees and 69 physicians. The history of Riverside HealthCare drapes across the years like a tapestry, rich with the vibrant colors and inescapable warmth of the many people who have contributed to its success over 50 years. You and your family can count on us to uphold our mission of providing quality, caring service that improves the health status of the communities that we serve. Now and in the future, Riverside Healthcare maintains excellence through the efforts of a talented team of dedicated professionals and support staff whose actions exemplify excellence. What has endured throughout Riverside’s more than 55 years is our commitment to delivering excellent service to promote health and lead the way in providing this community with a superior, comprehensive healthcare system that operates in a caring, highly-efficient and competitive manner. Technology has advanced by light years, laws regulating healthcare have changed dramatically, and today’s updated facility bears little resemblance to the original structure. In many ways, the world is very different today than in 1964 when Riverside Hospital opened in response to a need for another facility within a growing community. Riverside Medical Center, 2004 Over 55 Years of Commitment to the Communityĭear Friends of Riverside Medical Center:
0 kommentar(er)
